The New England Patriots have been one of the busiest teams in the NFL early on this offseason, which was to be expected considering how they entered free agency with over $120 million in cap space available at their disposal, which was the highest figure in the league. So far, the Patriots have been aggressive in their quest to upgrade their defense, and on Monday, they continued that by re-signing one of their own players.
The Pats didn’t have a massive group of free agents hitting the open market, with Deatrich Wise Jr. and Jonathan Jones highlighting the group. Both guys ended up signing with the Washington Commanders, and it seemed like another one of their own players could depart when the Las Vegas Raiders handed linebacker Christian Elliss, who was a restricted free agent, an offer sheet. However, New England opted to match Las Vegas’ offer, keeping Elliss in town on a two-year deal.
“The Patriots are planning to match the Raiders’ offer sheet for restricted free-agent LB Christian Elliss, per sources. It is a 2-year deal, locking Elliss in with the Patriots through 2026,” Mike Reiss of ESPN reported.
Patriots continue to beef up defense by re-signing Christian Elliss
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After latching on with the Pats late in the 2023 campaign, Elliss earned a bigger role for himself with the team in 2024. He played in 16 games, racking up 80 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five passes defended, an interception, and a fumble forced. While New England has brought in guys like Robert Spillane and Jack Gibbens to their linebacker room, it’s telling that they wanted to keep Elliss in town.
Elliss is the latest addition to New England’s defense, with Milton Williams, Calton Davis, and Harold Landry highlighting the new crop of players coming to town. It remains to be seen how the Patriots linebacker rotation will shake out, but it’s clear that they have a plan for Elliss after they prevented the Raiders from signing him.
